[Objective] The objective of this study is to analyze the cultural impact of research cases from REF2021 in Britain. The study aims to provide insights that may be useful in evaluating the cultural value of STM research in China.

[Methods] A conceptual framework consisting of 16 cultural impact categories, 4 research types  was established to analyze the 29 cultural impact cases in the STM research of the UK REF 2021 impact assessment. The cases were indexed and analyzed using Notion AI tools to provide structured analysis of the texts.

[Results] The study reveals a rich diversity of cultural impact categories in the STM field. The most prominent category is "participation in or application to various media or cultural vehicles." Additionally, there is variation in the cultural impact characteristics among different disciplines and types of research.

[Limitations] The study has a limited number of cases. Furthermore, the conceptual framework for cultural impact requires further refinement. It is important to note that the analysis does not include the impact on cultural ideology.

[Conclusions] The proposed conceptual framework for cultural impact can help explain case studies. Differences in cultural impact across different disciplines and types of research results highlight the necessity and significance of categorical evaluation. The conceptual framework for cultural impact needs to be further extended to provide support for evaluation decisions.